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Post by braat on Jan 2, 2019 13:58:46 GMT -5

I'm pretty close to going to the vibe side ... found a local Thumler dealer where I can get the UV10 (industrial blue band one). Before I order I'm wondering if there are any "must haves" when going vibe? I'm currently all rotary (Thumler AR12, Thumler AR2 and Lortone 3A) and the plan would be to use my total rotary capacity of 21 lbs for rough tumbling and the UV10 for stages 2 to 4. I've been skipping stage 2 (220) for a year or so now as I couldn't see that it made a difference in the final shine but with the vibe I think I'd try the stage 2 again and see what happens. Anyways i'm mainly wondering if dedicated vibe bowls for each stage are essential or is the one bowl good enough? Also is there anything else I should be thinking about ordering? All comments welcome... thanks...

Post by pizzano on Jan 2, 2019 14:41:57 GMT -5

I'm pretty close to going to the vibe side ... found a local Thumler dealer where I can get the UV10 (industrial blue band one). Before I order I'm wondering if there are any "must haves" when going vibe? I'm currently all rotary (Thumler AR12, Thumler AR2 and Lortone 3A) and the plan would be to use my total rotary capacity of 21 lbs for rough tumbling and the UV10 for stages 2 to 4. I've been skipping stage 2 (220) for a year or so now as I couldn't see that it made a difference in the final shine but with the vibe I think I'd try the stage 2 again and see what happens. Anyways i'm mainly wondering if dedicated vibe bowls for each stage are essential or is the one bowl good enough? Also is there anything else I should be thinking about ordering? All comments welcome... thanks...

It's been my experience that starting out with 120/220 in the vibe after having either pre-formed or rotary tumbled rough, will give you the best results. Also, I swear by the use of ceramic media in all stages........I've tried damn near everything else and ceramics work the best, hands down in a bowl vibe.....!........There will be an initial cost investment, but they can be carried over through all grinding cycles, polishing stages will require their own.

Also suggest that you dedicate separate bowls for grinding and polishing........using one for all cycles 120/220 thru 800, then using one for all pre-polish and polish applications.........dedicate separate batches of ceramics for grinding 120/220 thru 600, and pre-polish/polish......I've found that using the same ceramics pre-polish and polish stages work well, but if you're nervous about the polish stage just use a separate batch for that stage.

Another aspect of bowl vibe application is monitoring.......the first few hours will take babysitting.....after you get a good slurry established, then checking for moisture and rotation every 4 to 5 hours will help......make sure your bowl is at near capacity with at least 1/3 filler (ceramics), a full bowl makes for a better rotating action......thus a quicker and more effective grinding/polishing environment.....and a more appealing final result.

Happy Vibing.......patience and practice will be the keys to success......!

Post by hnhstngs on Jan 3, 2019 9:35:15 GMT -5

An alternative to ceramics is quartz aquarium pebbles. I use a mix of both them and ceramics (large size) and get good movement and results in my UV-3. I know jamesp has also espoused AO grits in vibes as opposed to SiC.

Post by jamesp on Jan 3, 2019 13:54:03 GMT -5

An alternative to ceramics is quartz aquarium pebbles. I use a mix of both them and ceramics (large size) and get good movement and results in my UV-3. I know jamesp has also espoused AO grits in vibes as opposed to SiC.

It makes good sense to use silicon carbide in the rotary and aluminum oxide in the vibe. Not mandatory though.

Rotary + SiC is best for shaping.Vibe + aluminum oxide is excellent for finish steps.

The vibe is about useless for shaping but is excellent for finishing.AO is also useless for shaping but excellent for finishing.

The rotary will finish but it just takes longer than a vibe. Most use AO for rotary finishing.

Even coarse AO 22 or AO 80 will not do any noticeable shaping in a rotary or a vibe. Been there done that. That is a job for SiC.

One may question the range of hardness that aluminum oxide will finish to polish ?I get fine polishes with glass ranging from soda glass at Mohs 4.5 to Pyrex glass at Mohs 6.0 using a vibe and steps of AO.(soft material)And almandine garnets at Mohs 7.5 and hard coral and Montana agate.(some of the hardest materials)That range of hardness is acceptable to my needs.

By the way quartz pea gravel is Mohs 7 and most ceramic media is Mohs 8 to 8.5.They will both break down SiC and AO as media in the vibe. The pea gravel is softer and reaches polish for target stones in the vibe faster for me.

Post by braat on Jan 6, 2019 14:03:06 GMT -5

Thanks for the responses ...I think I'll order an extra bowl as suggested by pizzano. As for media I'm going to continue with the quartz pea gravel I've been using...I'm happy with the rotary results so unless vibe results say otherwise I'll stick with the pea gravel.

We are a community supported free forum and all are welcome to sign up and join in the various lapidary discussion topics. If you have been helped here and would like to give back, the simpliest way is to route all your lapidary, household, or business needs through our Amazon Affiliate link every time you shop. A small percentage of what you spend at Amazon through this link comes back to RTH without raising your cost at all.

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